Helicopter Shark Patrol

[choppertop]

On the Helicopter Seychelles website. For info.

SHARK HUNT MISSION FOR HELICOPTER TEAM
Helicopter Seychelles has boosted the nation’s efforts to track the rogue shark which has claimed two holidaymakers’ lives in waters around Praslin island in recent weeks.
Launching a series of aerial surveillance missions from its base on neighbouring Mahé, the company’s pilots were joined by a representative of the Seychelles coastguard.
Helicopter captains Matt Hayes, Patrick Muirhead and Chad Baxter, led by the company’s Head of Operations Capt Shaun Tinkler-Rose, used a float-fitted Bell JetRanger aircraft S7-HGN for the sorties, following a request for help from the Seychelles Government.
The crews operated low-level, carrying out sweeps of the inshore waters near the beaches in the vicinity of the attacks in support of coastguard vessels deploying shark nets.
“The twin tragedies on Praslin have affected everyone here very profoundly,” said Capt Tinkler-Rose. “We were asked by the Government for our assistance and we were delighted to offer our aircraft at no cost for this important role.”
He added: “The country, and the world beyond, is aware of the robust multi-agency response being mounted here to confront this problem. We are supplying our services as part of our commitment to support the country in the best way we can.”
The Helicopter Seychelles pilots involved in each two-hour flying mission include European trained ex-Royal Navy Search and Rescue personnel. They were supported by Helicopter Seychelles’ team of engineers and operational ground crew.
Since its inception in 1992, Helicopter Seychelles has supplied a diverse range of flying services beyond luxury passenger transfers, ranging from medical evacuation to fire fighting.
The company is currently awaiting final approval of its licence renewal to fly paying passengers and hopes to return to full public transport operations shortly.

[Runway101]

Not exactly hunting, but whenever a shark sighting is reported in Hong Kong, the GFS (Gov Flying Service) is not far away (no "real" shark attacks in HK since the 90s (http://orientalsweetlips.wordpress.com/2010/06/09/the-sai-kung-shark-attacks-early-90s-sai-kung/) though).

[fluffy5]

Hello helicopter seychelles, I have just sent you my email on your company contacts. Good to see you guys flying.

Fluffy

[choppertop]

You can follow further developments for us and the killer shark by friending us on the 'book. Am I allowed to say that on here? :)

[500 Fan]

http://i.planepictures.net/72/21/1205068700.jpg

[Agaricus bisporus]

"Rogue Shark"

Hmm...

Perhaps it's time the Seychelles authorities started to recognise that some sharks eat meat and if people get in their sight when they're hungry...

It's not the shark's fault, and describing a hungry shark as "rogue" is both inaccurate and ridiculously anthropromorphic. Who says it is one "rogue" shark anyway, and not more than one that was hungry?

Butchering every shark in the sea in retribution is hardly an enlightened or responsible way to behave, is it?

Or is this an exercise designed to allow the media to "reassure" tourists at the expense of a whole heap of dead sharks?

[choppertop]

Great Whites -- for that is what it's believed to be -- do not normally circulate in Seychelles inshore waters and rarely on the Seychelles plateau at all. In that sense, and the fact that juveniles only get a taste for human flesh if it's their first mammalian bite, leads to the conclusion it's a 'rogue'. Sadly, harmless sharks will suffer in the course of destroying a known threat to human life locally here and preserving a tourism industry on which this struggling country's people largely depend.

[Auxair]

As I understand it, it is believed this shark is a large Bull Shark, known throughout the world as one of the most aggressive and deadly and having the highest kill rate of humans of any species-way more than the Great White.

They are primarily shallow water hunters, having poor eyesight but highly reactive to motion and aggressively and brutally attack anything that interests them. Most fishermen know they have nasty personalities in general and fear nothing-they attack and tear-to-pieces their targets.
The second attack victim in this case was literally torn to pieces in a sudden, unprovoked daylight attack in shallow beach water on his honeymoon-right in front of his new bride.

After two brutal, unprovoked attacks in the same area in a short span of time, it is completely reasonable that the authorities consider this particular shark a supremely dangerous animal, willing to hunt and kill humans as prey without hesitation and it should be classified as a rogue
to be hunted and killed at the first opportunity. The local ecosystem will
not miss this fish one bit-and people will stop dying when it dies.

When one shark's value is viewed as being as important as the lives of two or more human beings..the argument for "it's not the animal's fault.." fades quickly.

[212man]

When one shark's value is viewed as being as important as the lives of two or more human beings..the argument for "it's not the animal's fault.." fades quickly.

Based on what premise?

a legitimate question....

[Auxair]

212Man..

You wish to, seriously, insist on a justified "premise" for stating the lives of human beings are of greater value than a predatory fish?

Perhaps you have a stronger justification for balancing the scales of value between human life and that of a fish that targets humans?

[Hughes500]

Auxair

You talk an absolute load of bollo_ks. Everyone who goes swimming/ surfing in the sea knows there is a risk of drowning, being biten, etc etc. No different to you taking to the air with the risk of a failure. The shark is doing what it does, surviving by eating just as you do by eating meat. It is people like you that will see this planet doomed with nothing but humans on it. When you have something sensible to say say it. Oh and I suppose the shark hunter' s will have an identity parade to identify the culprit before they execute it ?:ugh:

[Agaricus bisporus]

I'm afraid Auxair's swallowed too many of the Disney fluffy anthropomorphic pills and attributes human emotions and reactions to sharks. "Developing a taste" and "brutally attacking". Sharks with "personality"! Oh come on!

I nearly laughed out loud at the inconsiderateness of the shark that ate a fellow in front of his bride "unprovoked". Presumably it would have been acceptable if the guy had been tormenting it with a stick first? And how rude of the shark not to have waited until the bride's back was turned. Fancy eating him in friont of her! Disgraceful! And it really should have left it a day or two to let the novelty of married life wear off a bit too, how thoughtless! Eating an established marrried couple of course is just fine - or is that only if it is provoked, as people so often do with sharks...

Oh my Lord!

[Savoia]

Helicopter Shark Patrols to Begin in WA


The State Government has announced helicopter shark patrols will begin along Perth beaches tomorrow. It follows three fatal shark attacks in WA in the past two months.

The Premier Colin Barnett says the Government will fund the helicopter for the next few weeks. "There will be a helicopter in the air above Perth beaches as of tomorrow," he said. "That will be a temporary arrangement until Surf Lifesaving's helicopter arrives in the first week of November so those patrols will begin."

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/201001/r494872_2584726.jpg
The WA Surf Life Saving helicopter will be sent to Perth

More (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-24/shark-kill-hunt-opposed/3597028?section=wa)

[Hughes500]

like looking for a needle in a haystack to find the white that has bitten everyone, if it is the same fish !!!!

[onetrack]

It's amazing how one person taken by a shark wasn't enough reason to commence shark patrols. Neither was a 2nd shark victim reason to outlay unnecessary funding on shark patrols.
However, when a 3rd victim is taken, and that person was a Texan... and there's a huge CHOGM talkfest on, with the meedja attention centred on lil' old far-away Perth... our erstwhile Premier suddenly sees himself as taking up the worthy initiative (and garnering hero status in the deal), by initiating shark patrols.
Maybe I'm just getting old and cynical - but I can't see where a coastal shark patrol would have helped the unfortunate Texan fella who was taken by the shark, in the water around Rottnest Island, a full 18 kms off the coast.

I see where there's a groundswell of revolt against the "shoot-to-kill-the-sharks" order of our glory-seeking Premier. Even the Texans family, state they have no desire to see sharks hunted down and killed, despite losing their son and brother.
The facts are this. There was one shark death in 1925 at Western Australia's favorite beach, Cottesloe Beach, and another in 2005. There is around one shark death a year off the vast West Australian coastline.
Yet, because there has been a sudden upsurge in shark attacks in the last 3 months, this is now apparently reason to hunt and kill sharks that "appear to pose a threat".

How is this threat to be measured? One shark within 500M of any people? Over a certain size? A particular species singled out?
One has to be highly suspicious that this decision is a knee-jerk decision by a political leader, who can see his name up in lights as the person most responsible for making Western Australias beaches "safe".

The simple fact of the matter is, when we go into the ocean, we are going into the sharks playground. The risk of being taken by a shark is probably less than 1/10th of the chance of being hit by lightning - yet our publicity-seeking Premier is dead set on extracting some glory from these attacks, that now loom large in everyones mind, thanks to the meedjas obsession with shark attacks.

Scientists lead call to end shark hunt | Perth Now (http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/scientists-lead-call-to-end-shark-hunt/story-e6frg13u-1226177434712)

[Savoia]

like looking for a needle in a haystack to find the white that has bitten everyone.

Indeed, although the SLA helicopter is probably going to conduct patrols as opposed to going hunting for the killer.

In good light conditions it is astonishing just how easy it is to spot these predators from the air.

http://sciencedude.ocregister.com/files/2010/08/gwsharks1.jpg
A great white as viewed from the air

[Hughes500]

Sav

granted you can see them but does it have a sign on it saying I'm hungry for humans ????

[Savoia]

Right you are CT!

Yes in Aussie you have those ocean-going crocs against which, one supposes, any swimmer is helpless.

A twin over the water would be nice and I'm surprised that the SLA ship doesn't have pop-outs. Back in the day it seemed as though all the surf rescue 206's in Aus wore fixed floats - in fact in the 60's and 70's fixed floats were all the rage in many parts of the world.